dst. (km) Today 0.0 Trip total ?? Odometer 2312.6
Breakfasting in torrential rain at St Cere
Rain stops play.
After a restless night spent listening to the rain hammering on the tents and the gurgle of the rising river, we were all relieved to wake up and find that we still had a campsite! I think everyone was aware of just how close that river was, and how flat and low-lying the campsite. Breakfast was a rather damp affair, with nobody really wanting to start riding in this rain. There was a minor bit of excitement when the local fire-brigade turned up and after some shouting and arm waving, persuaded the manager to find a crank arm which they then used to open and close various lock gates on canals leading in and out of the river.
After a brief consultation, Andy, Suzy, Martin and Tony decided that it was probably not safe for us to be out looking for unfamiliar turn offs in the gloom, and that we’d be better off using the van to shuttle everyone to the next camp at Conques. I can’t say that anyone protested too strongly!
Mossy tree trunk in Conques
By the time we got to Conques I was almost wishing that I had ridden my bike. The rain had lessened, and I was feeling quite car-sick from being crammed in the van as it wound its way through the hills.
Conques was beautiful. Somehow it has managed to miss all the ugly developments of the 20th century. There is a car-park on the road leading towards the village, and everyone visiting it parks outside and walks in. During the day there are no cars on the village steets at all, and at night only a few belonging to residents. No wonder it has achieved World Heritage status.
Dinner in Conques was on an outside balcony above the street, one of the many beautiful settings that Andy and Suzy managed to find us over the course of the fortnight, the souvenir label from the Château de Sauzetour 1999 Bordeaux is stuck in my diary as a permanent reminder of the dinner.
Wide Open Road dinner on a Conques restaurant balcony
Where?
St Céré(44.8666667,1.9) Conques(44.6,2.4)
